I'm going to say it 'til the cows come home, people need to be playing liquimetal Torque. It's a 2 mana rock that can turn a nonland permanent into an artifact. Super useful and can be a political tool as well. Works amazingly in rakdos but is just a solid card in general.
Rakdos Charm is always an auto include no matter the deck as long as it’s at least RB. I’ve killed several players with the damage/creature mode and stopped several living deaths and balthors with the exile graveyard. Edit: Even “compleated” someone after they cast a Triumph of the Hordes.
15:00 I think you're discounting that the "bounce lands" became a lot better with the introduction of MDFCs in the format. In my Rakdos deck I play Hargra Mauling, Spikefield Hazard, and Blightstep Pathway. Love the videos as always.
Oh man that is a good idea I definitely myself hadn't even thought of... And I even just got 2 copies of all of the MDFCs in the last month because I started to see how good they were, thanks for the tip. I have been letting my dub masters full art bounce lands rot in some sleeves somewhere...
Defiinitely an underrated all-star. I only learned of this card because of canadian highlander in which it saw a lot of play some years ago. It's good that nobody knows about it though since it's remained fairly cheap despite its age.
I've always been a huge fan of rakdos return I always like a good x spell and the ability to be able to get rid of an opponent's hand and also a Planeswalker at the same time is just really sweet
Fun story, the potency of black and red compared to every other color forced me to play Douse and Lifeforce in my Rograhk thrasios cedh. But playing those tilted me into being able to play the 2 mana enchantment creature that taps for mana equal to the amount of enchantments you control. Lifeforce, douse, and deathgrip are the most under utilized edh enchantments.
Hi, Prosper Tombbound player here who has multiple wins at Cedh tournaments. Rakdos charm is amazing due to its multiple options. I have never played a game where none of those options have played out for me. I believe Demo undersold how powerful mayhem devil is. Remember fetchlands, treasure tokens, clue tokens, and even some CEDH infinite win cons such as LED cannot proceed with a mayhem devil on the table. I agree with Demo that Abrade is a staple but also should be Cathartic pyre as it also has alot of flexibility in its uses. Phyrexian purge is not a good card. Run Fire Covenant instead. 3 mana for instant speed and the life is more manageable for it The hidetsugu consumes all the issue is it exiles YOUR graveyard too and you don't want that in Rakdos colours. I also recommend Reanimate and Unearth as alot of your creatures will likely be 3 CMC or lower Dauthi voidwalker is an amazing black card in general. Any Rakdos land that enters play tapped IS NOT VIABLE for Rakdos. You need to go fast to overwhelm your opponents. Tapped lands set you back a turn and give other players a chance to catch up. As for rocks, you want as many 2 drops as possible. I highly recommend Liquimetal torque as it can turn those pesky enhancements into artifacts that I can hit if needed. Solemn simulacrum and burnished Hart are your main ramp cards, run them. Kikki jikki mirror breaker is amazing even outside of Infinite win cons. I won a game by copying my dauthi voidwalker so I technically had a free counter spell from the exile pile when I went for the win. Also Storm kiln artist will help you ramp and stabilize Torment of hailfire can be a win con for you as well as exsanguinate
Maybe it would help thinking of Rakdos charm in a similar way as Abrade, but instead of it killing a creature, it is graveyard hate. In general I feel ike especially in casual pods, people get away with way too many graveyard shenanigans so having afew answers to someone else going off with their yard is pretty key. The damage ability is an added bonus, I have managed to kill people with it before, but I feel like the other 2 modes are what make this card really versatile. One of the better charms imo.
For red decks or Rakdos, to deal with enchantments I almost always include liquimetal coating and liquimetal torque; turn that problem enchantment into an artifact, now your artifact removal can hit it!
Rakdos is my favorite color pairing and I like Phyrexian Purge especially with Greven, Predator Captain. By far my favorite Rakdos commander is Blim, because gifting things like Oath of Lim-Dul is just hilarious
Rakdos charm I think you're looking at wrong. Do not think of it as removal, think of it as a tech card, but a really really good tech card. If you're going against a token deck you can straight up kill them with it. It'll never be useless because it also had the artifact removal, it's not a great option for artifact removal but that's usually the last thing you want to use it for. The exile graveyard is also good because it can just screw over that reanimator deck. Or cast in response to a dark realms and get rid of the best graveyard.
Your point about dealing with enchantments in Rakdos, while valid, is kind of a moot one since there are 2 other players that can handle the things that you can't. Chances are, if the enchantment in question is a problem for you, it'll be a problem for the rest of the table as well. But maybe that's just how I build decks in general. I choose to accept that when I lose, it'll more than likely be to something that my deck is weak against.
I cant help but think Prosper is already a Rakdos staple. even if youre not building around him, he is a self-fueling engine giving you card draw and ramp in a color pair that tends to runs out of steam. i cant think of a deck that wouldnt want him in the 4 mana slot.
If it was cheaper I would call it a staple, but that price point for it I’d say pushes it out. Sure it great, but you can easily get a little less flexibility for 1/20th the price.
Havoc Festival! In a aggressive strategy cuts opponents down to bite size and shuts off life gain! Ok you get hit by it too but last. If you’re very mean pair it with Archfiend of Despair or Wound Reflection. Kaervek the Merciless is also a bomb. He rules the board from the moment he hits it. Last One Standing is an underrated board wipe - spoiler: the last one standing is usually a token of little import. Finally the new Chaos Defiler is putting in some good work and can remove enchantments. Rakdos is about unreliability. Live a little on the wild side or don’t come to a Rakdos party.
Fire covenant is probably the best rakdos removal that very few people play but it pretty much clears most boards leave the field open to your own plans.
Terminate lost a lot of luster for me with all the indestructible Gods that people are running in the 99/as Commander. They’re a big enough threat I need to use an exile spell in that slot, lol.
Pain magnification makes it into most of my Rakdos decks. Best part you don't have have to deal the damage yourself! Also just feels like a very Rakdos-y card to me.
In my group there are a lot of go wide token strategies. I can honestly say I've won no less than 3 games simply by casting rakdos charm when my opponent has 10-20 tokens. It just becomes a 2 mana instant deal 20 damage to my opponent. Total swing. And the other two abilities are fantastic as well, exile a graveyard is always handy and artifact removal will always be useful.
Havoc Festival is about as Rakdos as it gets 🤘🍻 I find that lifegain/damage prevention are as big an Achilles heel to Rakdos as enchantments, so I like to run Master of Cruelties, Virtus and any of the other assorted black/red 'players can't gain life' cards to keep the life totals from getting out of control. Card draw in Rakdos is painful, so any cheap way to add lifelink to something is very handy, things like Basilisk Collar and Witch's Clinic. Rakdos is tricky and that's what makes it fun
Everyone is sleeping on Enchanter’s Bane. It is a red enchantment for 1(R) and at the beginning of your end step, target enchantment deals damage equal to its mana value to its controller unless that player sacrifices it. It deals damage to those pesky enchantment players and once you get them low in life; which Rakdos does well. It will make them get rid of their enchantments unless they die to the damage. Also Liquimetal Coating is a great add if you have artifact hate in Rakdos because you can turn their enchantments into artifacts and then get rid of them as well with artifact removal
Rakdos Charm and Mayhem Devil are my flexible auto-includes. Just straight u rakdos isn't my favorite colour combo so I don't have a lot of em, but any deck that runs BR I try and make room for those two
I would've liked to see Rakdos win cons/alt win cons. Juri Master of Revue is great especially in a deck like Prosper where treasures are just all over the place and Juri is just a ticking time bomb if it goes ignored
I'm here from the future to say Demo is considering slotting Vandalblast out of his decks. it's only been a year and the format has already outpaced a 1 CMC sorcery.
Hidetsugu consumes all sucks because if you are in those colors you are probably using treasures and have yard synergies...it just counters your own deck
How about Valki, God of Lies? Let's you look at and rip a creature out of every opponents hand in the early game, or as a powerful planeswalker late in the game when there's an empty board to cast him into after a boardwipe.
1:15 LOL I play a Mogis group slug Enchantment deck it does the opposite of group hug and makes the battlefield horrible so no creatures can survive than I attempt to blow up lands and create a cage match with Mogis as the finale :P
Blood for the blood god is a fantastic new staple its a hand refill it burns 8 life. Also dont sleep on allure of the unkown and wheel of misfortune. Allure is a pretty political card and can come in great with a player that may be behind in the game and needs something.
Rakdos charm has won me the game before, held it up and let a guy make "a million" zealous conscripts with kiki jiki. I play it just for those moments.
I understand the treasure hate, but I don't like how a good amount of these cards are "treasure hate" cards. Rakdos does so much more than just hating on artifacts and creatures, and I really don't feel like it was represented here.
Hey Demo, I am unsubscribing because I no longer play commander, but if I resume I will come back. It's just so hard to find a group that has the right respect for each others' wants from the format. I think you really have a quality product so I am sad to go. Keep up the good work.
@@Tvboy777 yes it is. They left it off the magic 30 reprint sheet specifically due to sensitivity. I know math is hard but It is effectively banned from ever being reprinted due to its original art work.
@@mtgtinfoilthaumaturge1102 That doesn't mean it's banned, it is still legal in legacy, commander, pauper and vintage. There is nothing stopping them from reprinting it with different art.
@@jaysillynx3190 that’s simply not true, I know you don’t understand how dominos work but you are witnessing the beginning of them fall. Reprinting it with a new art would only increase the demand for the old version and increase the eyeballs looking at something they’ve deemed inappropriate
I'm going to say it 'til the cows come home, people need to be playing liquimetal Torque. It's a 2 mana rock that can turn a nonland permanent into an artifact. Super useful and can be a political tool as well. Works amazingly in rakdos but is just a solid card in general.
Rakdos Charm is always an auto include no matter the deck as long as it’s at least RB. I’ve killed several players with the damage/creature mode and stopped several living deaths and balthors with the exile graveyard.
Edit: Even “compleated” someone after they cast a Triumph of the Hordes.
15:00 I think you're discounting that the "bounce lands" became a lot better with the introduction of MDFCs in the format. In my Rakdos deck I play Hargra Mauling, Spikefield Hazard, and Blightstep Pathway. Love the videos as always.
Totally haven't thought about it like that. You're totally right though, I'm definetly stealing that.
Oh man that is a good idea I definitely myself hadn't even thought of... And I even just got 2 copies of all of the MDFCs in the last month because I started to see how good they were, thanks for the tip. I have been letting my dub masters full art bounce lands rot in some sleeves somewhere...
Fire Covenant has always been a pretty saucy card for me.
Was thinking the exact same thing
Defiinitely an underrated all-star. I only learned of this card because of canadian highlander in which it saw a lot of play some years ago. It's good that nobody knows about it though since it's remained fairly cheap despite its age.
Amazing card
Bounce lands make it easy to laugh at someone who thinks they shut you down with imprisoned in the moon
Rakdos Charm has finished so many games when opponents go wide. Definitely work trying out especially with the amount token creatures in edh
I've always been a huge fan of rakdos return I always like a good x spell and the ability to be able to get rid of an opponent's hand and also a Planeswalker at the same time is just really sweet
Fun story, the potency of black and red compared to every other color forced me to play Douse and Lifeforce in my Rograhk thrasios cedh. But playing those tilted me into being able to play the 2 mana enchantment creature that taps for mana equal to the amount of enchantments you control. Lifeforce, douse, and deathgrip are the most under utilized edh enchantments.
Hi, Prosper Tombbound player here who has multiple wins at Cedh tournaments.
Rakdos charm is amazing due to its multiple options. I have never played a game where none of those options have played out for me.
I believe Demo undersold how powerful mayhem devil is. Remember fetchlands, treasure tokens, clue tokens, and even some CEDH infinite win cons such as LED cannot proceed with a mayhem devil on the table.
I agree with Demo that Abrade is a staple but also should be Cathartic pyre as it also has alot of flexibility in its uses.
Phyrexian purge is not a good card. Run Fire Covenant instead. 3 mana for instant speed and the life is more manageable for it
The hidetsugu consumes all the issue is it exiles YOUR graveyard too and you don't want that in Rakdos colours.
I also recommend Reanimate and Unearth as alot of your creatures will likely be 3 CMC or lower
Dauthi voidwalker is an amazing black card in general.
Any Rakdos land that enters play tapped IS NOT VIABLE for Rakdos. You need to go fast to overwhelm your opponents. Tapped lands set you back a turn and give other players a chance to catch up.
As for rocks, you want as many 2 drops as possible. I highly recommend Liquimetal torque as it can turn those pesky enhancements into artifacts that I can hit if needed.
Solemn simulacrum and burnished Hart are your main ramp cards, run them.
Kikki jikki mirror breaker is amazing even outside of Infinite win cons. I won a game by copying my dauthi voidwalker so I technically had a free counter spell from the exile pile when I went for the win.
Also Storm kiln artist will help you ramp and stabilize
Torment of hailfire can be a win con for you as well as exsanguinate
Maybe it would help thinking of Rakdos charm in a similar way as Abrade, but instead of it killing a creature, it is graveyard hate. In general I feel ike especially in casual pods, people get away with way too many graveyard shenanigans so having afew answers to someone else going off with their yard is pretty key. The damage ability is an added bonus, I have managed to kill people with it before, but I feel like the other 2 modes are what make this card really versatile. One of the better charms imo.
For red decks or Rakdos, to deal with enchantments I almost always include liquimetal coating and liquimetal torque; turn that problem enchantment into an artifact, now your artifact removal can hit it!
I believe Black and red are my favorite two colors. I honestly love every every color combo that has either one but rakdos cakes the cake for me.
Rakdos is my favorite color pairing and I like Phyrexian Purge especially with Greven, Predator Captain. By far my favorite Rakdos commander is Blim, because gifting things like Oath of Lim-Dul is just hilarious
Rakdos charm I think you're looking at wrong.
Do not think of it as removal, think of it as a tech card, but a really really good tech card. If you're going against a token deck you can straight up kill them with it.
It'll never be useless because it also had the artifact removal, it's not a great option for artifact removal but that's usually the last thing you want to use it for. The exile graveyard is also good because it can just screw over that reanimator deck. Or cast in response to a dark realms and get rid of the best graveyard.
Your point about dealing with enchantments in Rakdos, while valid, is kind of a moot one since there are 2 other players that can handle the things that you can't. Chances are, if the enchantment in question is a problem for you, it'll be a problem for the rest of the table as well. But maybe that's just how I build decks in general. I choose to accept that when I lose, it'll more than likely be to something that my deck is weak against.
I cant help but think Prosper is already a Rakdos staple. even if youre not building around him, he is a self-fueling engine giving you card draw and ramp in a color pair that tends to runs out of steam. i cant think of a deck that wouldnt want him in the 4 mana slot.
Fire Covenant is SO good. People never expect it
Cool list for rakdos staples! What are your thoughts on Kolaghan's Command? Seems pretty flexible and has 2 for 1 potential in rakdos decks.
I would add a liquimetal torque to help destroy the enchantments. Red kills artifacts so well it would be so beneficial.
If it was cheaper I would call it a staple, but that price point for it I’d say pushes it out. Sure it great, but you can easily get a little less flexibility for 1/20th the price.
I think its reasonably priced at 2 dollars after getting numerous reprints, but I can see it may be too expensive for budget decks.
Havoc Festival! In a aggressive strategy cuts opponents down to bite size and shuts off life gain! Ok you get hit by it too but last. If you’re very mean pair it with Archfiend of Despair or Wound Reflection.
Kaervek the Merciless is also a bomb. He rules the board from the moment he hits it. Last One Standing is an underrated board wipe - spoiler: the last one standing is usually a token of little import.
Finally the new Chaos Defiler is putting in some good work and can remove enchantments. Rakdos is about unreliability. Live a little on the wild side or don’t come to a Rakdos party.
Fire covenant is probably the best rakdos removal that very few people play but it pretty much clears most boards leave the field open to your own plans.
I'm running Rakdos Attractions! Love Red/Black!
Finally one for my favorite colors!
Fire covenant
rakdos charm reads "token player kills himself"
I like the new Fatal Grudge from New Capenna, fits really well usual Rakdos themes
Terminate lost a lot of luster for me with all the indestructible Gods that people are running in the 99/as Commander. They’re a big enough threat I need to use an exile spell in that slot, lol.
Pain magnification makes it into most of my Rakdos decks. Best part you don't have have to deal the damage yourself! Also just feels like a very Rakdos-y card to me.
Kolaghans command and curtains call are very good and efficient. Both at three mana (most of the time) being a 2 for 1.
In my group there are a lot of go wide token strategies. I can honestly say I've won no less than 3 games simply by casting rakdos charm when my opponent has 10-20 tokens. It just becomes a 2 mana instant deal 20 damage to my opponent. Total swing. And the other two abilities are fantastic as well, exile a graveyard is always handy and artifact removal will always be useful.
We can feel your lack of love for rakdos ;)
Still, cool video, fire covenant can be good too !
Rakdos is king to me. I just play it well and love it more than any 2 color combo
@@xanderjones6239 I personally like Orzhov a tiny bit more but Rakdos is a close second. Gotta have my black in any case
Faldo’s charm is instant response for people who got infinite creatures on your end step you can respond to kill them. That’s how I’ve always used it.
I'm thinking, Burnt Offering, Pox, Temporal Extortion, No Mercy, Pandemonium, Everlasting Torment, Painful Quandary, False Cure, Wound Reflection and Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth.
One of the dual cycling lands was reprinted in commander 2020….but just one. They really need to reprint them and finish the cycle.
I just got captive audience for my graveyard deck and its super fun
Havoc Festival is about as Rakdos as it gets 🤘🍻
I find that lifegain/damage prevention are as big an Achilles heel to Rakdos as enchantments, so I like to run Master of Cruelties, Virtus and any of the other assorted black/red 'players can't gain life' cards to keep the life totals from getting out of control.
Card draw in Rakdos is painful, so any cheap way to add lifelink to something is very handy, things like Basilisk Collar and Witch's Clinic.
Rakdos is tricky and that's what makes it fun
If you're not playing Havoc Festival, you aren't playing Rakdos, just red and black.
I have won games off the back of Rakdos Charm. Had it in hand when someone Kiki comboed and I in responsed to him making 2000 Resto Angels.
Everyone is sleeping on Enchanter’s Bane. It is a red enchantment for 1(R) and at the beginning of your end step, target enchantment deals damage equal to its mana value to its controller unless that player sacrifices it. It deals damage to those pesky enchantment players and once you get them low in life; which Rakdos does well. It will make them get rid of their enchantments unless they die to the damage. Also Liquimetal Coating is a great add if you have artifact hate in Rakdos because you can turn their enchantments into artifacts and then get rid of them as well with artifact removal
Fire covenant is really good
Rakdos Charm and Mayhem Devil are my flexible auto-includes. Just straight u rakdos isn't my favorite colour combo so I don't have a lot of em, but any deck that runs BR I try and make room for those two
I decided yesterday to make a grixis deck, since I am the only one in my playgroup without a grixis deck. then we can play a full grixis pod
Valki. It's an AoE Brain maggot early, and a huge value engine late.
I would've liked to see Rakdos win cons/alt win cons. Juri Master of Revue is great especially in a deck like Prosper where treasures are just all over the place and Juri is just a ticking time bomb if it goes ignored
my playgroup has someone who always goes wide with tokens, and have killed them many times with rakdos charm. very fun card :)
Nice vid. I'm also big on Corpse Explosion
I'm here from the future to say Demo is considering slotting Vandalblast out of his decks. it's only been a year and the format has already outpaced a 1 CMC sorcery.
Wow I totally missed corpse explosion coming out. That seems really sick
Hidetsugu consumes all sucks because if you are in those colors you are probably using treasures and have yard synergies...it just counters your own deck
I think Make an Example is so much better then the mentioned Phyrexian Purge, I like it a lot.
yea much easier to cast and wont cost life, and you may get more than just their commanders
How about Valki, God of Lies? Let's you look at and rip a creature out of every opponents hand in the early game, or as a powerful planeswalker late in the game when there's an empty board to cast him into after a boardwipe.
1:15 LOL I play a Mogis group slug Enchantment deck it does the opposite of group hug and makes the battlefield horrible so no creatures can survive than I attempt to blow up lands and create a cage match with Mogis as the finale :P
Run a Mycosynth Lattice and all the enchantments you couldn't touch before are now pop-able.
There might be a PW in about half my deck...usually if the first 2 abilities have synergies with the deck.
Its mono red enchanters bane I think is what its called is kinda enchantment removal
Huh, i never thought of the bounce lands that way. I guess in the long run it's as if you drew an extra land... That actually seems kinda good
You lose 1 mana that one time but it's essentially card advantage specifically for a land, I love to play them in colors that don't draw very well.
What do you think about Thoughtsieze as removal in Rakdos?
Unicorn moment: Opponent plays Triumph of the horde with 10 creatures then you hit em with the rakdos charm
Damn been waiting for the gruul one lol
up next
@@edhdeckbuilding thanks for the update!
For Rakdos charm, if you're going against an infect deck, it could probably be stupidity good
yea or any deck that wants to go infinite with creatures
Amulet of vigor because the Rakdos mana base is so slow
No fire covenant? That's a super must have boardwipe.
aren't you going to spend less life with phyrexian purge? unless you're killing a bunch of 1/1's
Delirium is going in every deck with Red and black. You hit an opponent equal to one creatures Power they own
Or its step-cousin, backlash
Blood for the blood god is a fantastic new staple its a hand refill it burns 8 life. Also dont sleep on allure of the unkown and wheel of misfortune. Allure is a pretty political card and can come in great with a player that may be behind in the game and needs something.
I staple my commander to the sleeve so I know it won't get out.
Bounce lands are in fact ramp
turn one, one land, one mana. turn two, bounce land, 2 mana. turn three, play a land 3 mana. how is this ramp?
Karns sylex, it can blow up enchantments
also pyroblast
Rakdos charm has won me the game before, held it up and let a guy make "a million" zealous conscripts with kiki jiki. I play it just for those moments.
Please Gruul next
WHERE IS FIRE COVENANT????????????
No rakdos signet?? :P
I understand the treasure hate, but I don't like how a good amount of these cards are "treasure hate" cards. Rakdos does so much more than just hating on artifacts and creatures, and I really don't feel like it was represented here.
Killing all opponent commander for 4mana and 9 life.....i did that much cheaper lately with crackling doom
Hey Demo, I am unsubscribing because I no longer play commander, but if I resume I will come back. It's just so hard to find a group that has the right respect for each others' wants from the format. I think you really have a quality product so I am sad to go. Keep up the good work.
thanks buddy. sorry to hear it.
If Earthbind is banned shattered dreams also needs to be sensitivity banned. Shattered dreams is way worse, almost incomparably worse.
Earthbind isn't banned, wtf troll?
@@Tvboy777 yes it is. They left it off the magic 30 reprint sheet specifically due to sensitivity. I know math is hard but It is effectively banned from ever being reprinted due to its original art work.
@@Tvboy777 why do you think earthbind suddenly became the most expensive common ever?
@@mtgtinfoilthaumaturge1102 That doesn't mean it's banned, it is still legal in legacy, commander, pauper and vintage. There is nothing stopping them from reprinting it with different art.
@@jaysillynx3190 that’s simply not true, I know you don’t understand how dominos work but you are witnessing the beginning of them fall. Reprinting it with a new art would only increase the demand for the old version and increase the eyeballs looking at something they’ve deemed inappropriate
Mayhem devil, Mahadi, revel in riches, hellkite tyrant. The synergy is disgusting